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DO NOT post the location for on the street meets. To keep the spots from being too crowded, we don't allow locations to be posted. You may only post location details about pay meets and organized free signings.

So I found out information (almost by accident) that there was going to be a benefit in Boston for the Dana-Farber research cancer unit on Oct 10. It was being headlined as “An Evening with Steve Perry”. So once someone posted it I checked it very quickly and had to do a double take. It was only going to be 150 people, they said you get to hear a conversation with Steve Perry by Erin O’Malley (who’s a DJ at Mix 104 in Boston and is going through breast cancer treatments), a meet and greet and picture with Steve, as well as the new CD, a keychain and a poster. The price - $100 donation. I had to read three times make sure I was reading it correctly. I said I’ll buy one ticket and take it from there as if it’s fake at least I made a nice donation and a tax write off. Sure enough, it sold out in 38 minutes!

The page disappeared shortly after the announcement but it was sold out and I emailed the woman quickly. Yep I got on the list !!! I guess I’m going to Boston. Now, I had already a phenomenal picture with Steve in August, so although the pro picture was very cool , the main reason to go was to try to get my Journey poster that I’ve been working on for two years finally finished with his autograph. I had asked the woman in charge via e-mail if that’s going to be possible, but she believes that it was going to be enough time for auto.

Fast forward to 10/08 and 10/09 where I get information of the TV shows that Steve is going to be at in NYC. I weighed back-and-forth of taking off the day with the hopes he would sign my poster and I won’t have to deal with it in Boston and possibly sell/transfer the ticket ( A reputable woman that I met there was offered $2500! I wish they had contacted me before Monday because I certainly would’ve taken it and then went to New York). I pass a New York and if you see videos online, he signed both days with no problems.

Well I get my poster , and I make the 4.5 drive to Boston, check into my Airbnb, rest for about an hour ,shower and get over there around 4 o’clock, as are letting people in at 5:45 w a 7:00 start time. So I Case out the hotel, as I’m sitting in a huge lobby I see five obvious autograph dealers with tons of stuff in their hands as one of them is on their phone. They look at me , I look at them because I’m wearing a Journey shirt and I’m also wearing Steve Perry socks ( CAPMAN NOTE - Please keep note of the Socks when reading). The one dealer pretend to say” Wait , he’s where ,oh shit” almost to pretend to throw me off although I could really care less what they’re doing. They go running.

So I go to the room which is open now around 5 o’clock they’re not ready yet but I’m waiting in the little lobby. I had no idea he was there yet, but then, a woman, his guard, staff worker and Steve Perry start walking toward me in the little Corridor. The guard stretches arms, and I politely say “ Hey Steve, welcome back. Would you be able to sign my childhood poster? Come on I’m wearing the socks from your website!” He looks, gives the thumbs up, and walks right out. FACKKKK. He takes a couple pictures with women waiting outside and then goes back to his room I’m guessing. The woman that was with him comes back in, looks at me and says “ Don’t worry, he’ll take care of you later” (Capman NOTE - This woman is also very important to the story later on).

I’ll fast-forward : of course I get in first, get in the fantastic front row seat with some really nice women whom I befriended. We got to pre-write questions, so knowing I have to get his attention, I write a question I am sure they’re going to ask. When it comes time for the Q&A, my question was chosen third. The woman comes over to me, I tell her I’m wearing the Steve Perry socks, she says “OMG, get on stage and show Steve and the crowd your socks”. I said “of course” I jump on the stage lift my pants, show my socks. Steve is laughing and,the crowd is applauding ( my plan has worked, I think). FF to the picture, they start in the back rows and the women and I decide we want to go last ( something I’ve learned from you crazy folks here).

So it’s getting to the point where there’s about 25 people left and I spotthe woman who told me he’ll take care of me later. I told the woman I’m with I’ll be right back. So I go up to the woman, whose name is Jill ( I later find out that she is senior marketing president for Concorde records) and I say” Hi remember was the guy outside that you said he’ll take care of later, if I politely wait after the event, would Steve still be able to sign my childhood poster that I’ve been waiting a long time for? “She replies” Yes I remember you, you were the guy with the socks that one on stage right”? I reply “ GIDDY UP”. She says “Well anyone that says Giddy Up deserves to have their poster signed. I quickly give it to her, and she takes it and walked over to Steve and takes off the cap my silver marker!! Now, this would have not been a big deal had she did it within a 30 second time frame, however, every time she tried to step in, another fan was getting thier picture taken and it was getting close to me getting up to the front of the line. Well, I get to the front line, she has the poster and dried out marker, and throws out “ So you can either have the autograph or the picture”? I quickly say” No question, autograph." Steve shakes my hand, I show the poster and where I want it signed ( I had to tape it up for a backup plan). There was just enough room to sign it where I wanted him to sign it. However, he then proceeds to say “Let’s open it up”. Because the way my wife taped it up, there was no way I was going to try to chance to open it up right then and there ,plus I was running out of time. I just ask Steve to just press down hard (By the way I had a back up silver marker thatI pulled out for him to use). He writes” Love , Steve Perry! Done!!! He then asked me do you want to picture. I proceed to say fuck yeah I do.

I didn’t ask for specific pose of our hands like a “brother to brother” pose (The brother to brother is in his new song ). He loves it, and proceeds to put his second hand on top which forces me to put my hand on top. We look like we’re getting married but frankly I don’t care it’s still a good picture and I still have my original fantastic first picture. He then says “ Anyone who wears my socks to an event like this gets whatever they want signed”. I thanked him again and move on.

So here is the moral : My poster is finally complete and although is not exactly where I wanted it, having a pro photograph of him signing it is almost as good. I have been getting autographs ever since I was eight years old (Ivan Putski) And it seems like everyone has their own way of doing things. The thing that works for me being that I’ve been doing acting for close to 27 years and I have a personality that I have always utilized, I find by getting their attention in a nonthreatening manner and making it really fun or funny , pretty much always gets the prize. I want to state I don’t believe this works for everyone. But it almost always works for me.

Please enjoy the following pictures ( a SP mod/fan saw my picture in the official SP group and offered to touch it up).I also got the full res. picture today with no issues.

Attachments

Last edited by capman on October 16th, 2018, 11:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

I think the sig looks fine. Now had you asked my advice on such equipment, I would have said find a BIC silver. They are not as fine as the Sharpie, but they never dry out.

I will thank Capman for trying to get me NYC Perry info that week, but the spots were just too early for my liking. As for Boston, while it would have been a fun trip, just too much going on for a stay-over.